Why? It’s really very simple. I love advent calendars. Card ones, virtual ones, ones with little boxes to fill with treats and sweets. And one day I noticed that Porty Light Box had 24 windows. What better than a giant advent calendar for Portobello.

I had ideas of reflecting the acts of kindness and good deeds that have been shown in the facebook group Porty People, but that excludes a whole section of the community who don’t subscribe to all things internet.

Then I thought of different traditions, cultures, religions … but they would be someone else’s story and this felt a little more personal.

Someone thoughtfully put a metal sign at the end of one the groynes on the beach, with the simple instruction … Be Nice. It got me thinking.

There were a number of virtual calendars doing the rounds last year with suggestions of kind things to do.

So I’ve created a sort of Be Kind Advent Calendar and illustrated it with old photos from family and friends, some original images that I created just for this project and some snapshots I’ve taken over the years.

As a little extra, I thought some people may like to try and work out where all the house numbers are. They are all within Portobello and Joppa.